Sugar Shack

The 20×30 barn is a large post and beam model that comes with design options to create a functional space to suit a variety of needs. This versatile frame can be set up for cold storage, as a two or three bay garage, as living quarters, as a livestock barn or any combination of. The…

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Whether you refer to it as your Man-Cave, She-Shed, woodworking, pottery, painting, or silversmithing studio, or a sanctuary and think-tank for all of you part-time or serious Hobbyists, this new design is perfect for whatever you choose to use it for. Not only can it be used as a Hobby House, it’s also perfect for…

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A traditional New England design, the sugar shack is still used today to boil maple syrup. This 12x design comes standard as a non-working sugar shack, meaning the cupola is strictly decorative. If you would like a functional sugar shack you can upgrade to a venting cupola which has opening sides where the steam escapes.…

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A traditional New England design, the sugar shack is still used today to boil maple syrup. This 8x12 shed plan design comes standard as a non-working sugar shack which means that the cupola is strictly decorative. If you would like a functional sugar shack you can upgrade to a venting cupola which has opening sides where…

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A traditional New England design, the Sugar Shack is still used today to boil maple syrup. This design comes standard as a non-working sugar shack, meaning the cupola is strictly decorative; but, if you would like a functional sugar house you can upgrade to a venting cupola which has opening sides where the steam escapes.…

share on:

A traditional New England design, the sugar shack is still used today to boil maple syrup. This design comes standard as a non-working sugar shack which means the cupola is strictly decorative. If you would like a functional sugar shack you can upgrade to a venting cupola which has opening sides where the steam escapes. In…

“Sugar shack” might sound like just a cute marketing name, but the term arose from the original purpose of these buildings. Also called sugar houses or sugar cabins, sugar shacks were designed for the production of sweet maple syrup.

Designed for Efficiency

Eastern Canada and New England’s famous maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree. A sugar shack is where this sap is boiled down into syrup. In the traditional designs, sap-holding tanks outside the building supplied the evaporator pan inside, which boiled the sap. The evaporator was fired by a wood-burning brick or stone fire arch, or box, below it. The building required a large open cupola to vent the steam generated by the evaporator as well as a smokestack to let out the smoke from the wood fire. Many were also built with large windows to let in light to work by.

A Place to Gather

Introduced by French and Swiss settlers in the 17th century, the sugar shack rose to popularity in the 19th century as a way for private home and farm owners to make maple syrup for their own use or for sale. Today, these buildings are a part of Eastern Canadian and New England cultural heritage and larger sugar shacks turn into lively gathering places in spring, toward the end of the maple sap harvest season. Many families hold their Easter dinner in their sugar shack.

A non-working sugar shack with a decorative cupola lets you enjoy the atmosphere of this tradition with your family and friends. A sugar shack also makes an inspiring workshop or studio, or attractive equipment storage building for a tractor. By upgrading to a venting cupola, you can even run your own working sugar shack.